NFL Bengals Settle Cheerleading Pay Spat

CINCINNATI (CN) – The Cincinnati Bengals have reached a tentative settlement with a former cheerleader to class-action claims over minimum-wage violations. To settle former Ben-Gal Alexa Brenneman’s claims that the team failed to pay its cheerleaders minimum wage from 2011 to 2013, the team has agreed to pay all members of those squads $2,500 in back pay per season, news reports say, citing documents filed recently in U.S. District Court. The settlement includes an additional $5,000 payment for Brenneman, bringing the total bill for the Bengals to an even $250,000. With the team still denying Brenneman’s allegations, the Bengals noted in a memo that it will walk away from the deal if a large enough number of the cheerleaders drop out of the suit. Brenneman’s attorney Christian Jenkins gave the Dayton Daily News specifics about the deal. “The Bengals changed their compensation practices for cheerleaders in response to the lawsuit for the (2014) season, [and] the settlement is designed to give them about twice the amount that they would have gotten had the Bengals paid them properly in the first place,” Jenkins said, according to the article. Brenneman claimed she made just $2.85 per hour during the 2013-14 season. A hearing to determine the amount of attorneys’ fees Brenneman’s legal team will take home is scheduled for Dec. 3. The Bengals are 6-0 this season.